y separately published work icon Under a Medlar Tree selected work   poetry  
Issue Details: First known date: 2004... 2004 Under a Medlar Tree
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Notes

  • Epigraph: If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark. / Now will he sit under a medlar tree / And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit / As maids call medlars when they laugh alone. / O, Romeo, that she were, O that she were / An open et cetera, thou a pop'rin pear! (Romeo and Juliet)
  • Dedication: for Kiwi mates Ken and Vince.

Contents

* Contents derived from the Adelaide, South Australia,:Lythrum Press , 2004 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Stiff Nor'easter Across the Derwenti"Reading the wind your eyes are treading", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 1-2)
Home Towni"It looked like Harry licking an ice-cream", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 3)
About Islandsi"There where dodge tide tempests strafe the stubborn", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 4)
Growing into a New Agei"The days and nights are shorter", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 5)
Solstice Hourglassi"The season of retreating light", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 6)
The Other Nighti"The tenacious grain of elegy", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 7)
Seeing is Knowingi"You look at a blister of dew", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 8)
A Family Arrangementi"My father and I seemed not to ask", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 9)
Child with Scissorsi"From my aerial view", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 10)
The Precious Thingi"I heard him say 'I've lost ir'", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 11)
Fruits Instead of Flowersi"'Fruits instead of flowers', you said", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 12)
Note: Dedication: In memory of Lauris Edmond.
Impelled by the White Mooni"Yes, I know we have talked about the blue", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 13)
Note: Dedication: For Peter Doley.
Under a Medlar Treei"Madrigal of Maidenhead", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 14)
The Rain it Raineth Every Dayi"Tonight we are less complacent", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 15)
Inexorable C Minori"Twin sticks slowly syncopate", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 16)
A Vase of Wild Daffodilsi"You picked them a month ago and", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 17)
Mayai"An empty chair", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 18)
Late Afternoon Light Over the Lakei"Across the lake's surface skin, warblers", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 18)
Conundrumsi"That other dent in the pillow", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 20)
Belated Birthday Lunchi"I have four lines of a song", S. C. Harrex , single work poetry (p. 21)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

'Past Shapes of Things Present' in the Poetry of Syd Harrex (1935 – ) Ralph Spaulding , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Shadow of the Precursor 2012; (p. 48-61)
‘Syd Harrex was born in Smithton, Tasmania, in 1935 and completed his education in Hobart in the 1950s and 60s. He left Tasmania in 1966 to become a Foundation staff member at Flinders University from where he retired in 2001 as Reader in English and Director of the Centre for Research in the New Literatures in English. Harrex began writing and publishing poetry while a student at the University of Tasmania and his poetry retains something of the “silent croon” of his island home. This chapter considers Harrex’s kinship with the poetry of some of his contemporaries and predecessors. It shows how Harrex’s relationship with these writers is a creative dialogue that shapes and enhances his thematic concerns, rather than displaying any sense of Harold Bloom’s “anxiety of influence.” The chapter also charts Harex’s poetic journey through different Australian landscapes and from immediate and personal concerns to an exploration of some of the poetry’s universal themes.’ (48)
Untitled Sudesh Mishra , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: Journal of Postcolonial Writing , May vol. 41 no. 1 2005; (p. 124-125)

— Review of Under a Medlar Tree S. C. Harrex , 2004 selected work poetry
Untitled Peter Macrow , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: Five Bells , Winter vol. 12 no. 3 2005; (p. 54-55)

— Review of Under a Medlar Tree S. C. Harrex , 2004 selected work poetry
Sly Daffodils Geoff Page , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December-January no. 267 2004-2005; (p. 57)

— Review of Under a Medlar Tree S. C. Harrex , 2004 selected work poetry ; Head and Shin Tim Thorne , 2004 selected work poetry
Verse of Sombre Grace Well Worth Seeking Shane McCauley , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 4 September 2004; (p. 6)

— Review of Under a Medlar Tree S. C. Harrex , 2004 selected work poetry
Verse of Sombre Grace Well Worth Seeking Shane McCauley , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 4 September 2004; (p. 6)

— Review of Under a Medlar Tree S. C. Harrex , 2004 selected work poetry
Sly Daffodils Geoff Page , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December-January no. 267 2004-2005; (p. 57)

— Review of Under a Medlar Tree S. C. Harrex , 2004 selected work poetry ; Head and Shin Tim Thorne , 2004 selected work poetry
Untitled Peter Macrow , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: Five Bells , Winter vol. 12 no. 3 2005; (p. 54-55)

— Review of Under a Medlar Tree S. C. Harrex , 2004 selected work poetry
Untitled Sudesh Mishra , 2005 single work review
— Appears in: Journal of Postcolonial Writing , May vol. 41 no. 1 2005; (p. 124-125)

— Review of Under a Medlar Tree S. C. Harrex , 2004 selected work poetry
'Past Shapes of Things Present' in the Poetry of Syd Harrex (1935 – ) Ralph Spaulding , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Shadow of the Precursor 2012; (p. 48-61)
‘Syd Harrex was born in Smithton, Tasmania, in 1935 and completed his education in Hobart in the 1950s and 60s. He left Tasmania in 1966 to become a Foundation staff member at Flinders University from where he retired in 2001 as Reader in English and Director of the Centre for Research in the New Literatures in English. Harrex began writing and publishing poetry while a student at the University of Tasmania and his poetry retains something of the “silent croon” of his island home. This chapter considers Harrex’s kinship with the poetry of some of his contemporaries and predecessors. It shows how Harrex’s relationship with these writers is a creative dialogue that shapes and enhances his thematic concerns, rather than displaying any sense of Harold Bloom’s “anxiety of influence.” The chapter also charts Harex’s poetic journey through different Australian landscapes and from immediate and personal concerns to an exploration of some of the poetry’s universal themes.’ (48)
Last amended 11 Apr 2005 15:39:34
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